MBG1002 Introduction to BioinformaticsBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICSGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
MBG1002 Introduction to Bioinformatics Spring 3 0 3 5

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Must Course
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Course Coordinator : Dr. Öğr. Üyesi ELIZABETH HEMOND
Course Lecturer(s): Prof. Dr. SÜREYYA AKYÜZ
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi SERKAN AYVAZ
Recommended Optional Program Components: There is none.
Course Objectives: This course aims to prepare the students to work in the interdisciplinary area, bioinformatics that marry the advances in high-performance computing with the exploiting information resources of the human genome and related data.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1. Recognize the working in interdisciplinary teams of biologists, biochemists, medical researchers, geneticists, and computer engineers.
2. Perform sophisticated searches over enormous databases, and to interpret results.
3. Perform genomic comparisons, display genes and large genomic regions in Genome Browsers.
4. Recognize the basic bioinformatics problems and their solutions, including: fragment assembly, gene finding, protein folding and microarray studies.
5. Anayze the results in probabilistic terms using statistical significance.
6. Recognize the sequencing techniques, inherent computational problems, possible solutions.
7. Define Markov Model building and its usage for gene prediction.
8. Define computational methods for analysis of microarray data, and discuss the interpretations of gene expression from this data.
9. Discuss ethical, legal, and social issues associated with the Human Genome Project and its outcomes.

Course Content

Bioinformatics is a rapidly growing field that integrates molecular biology, statistics, and computer science. This course is devoted to the mathematical models and computer algorithms of DNA and protein sequence analysis. In this course, the students will learn many of the popular tools for performing bioinformatics analysis and you will be introduced to the thinking that drives these algorithms. Various existing bioinformatics methods will be critically described and the strengths and limitations of each will be discussed.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction: Probability and statistics in a nut shell.
2) Analysis of nucleic acid and protein sequences.
3) Molecular Biology Databases on the Web.
4) Bioinformatics softwares on the internet
5) How the Genome is Studied, Maps and Sequences, The Human Genome Project
6) Sequencing: Next Gen, Exome, Shotgun
7) Fragment Assembly Problem; Sequence Alignment Models: Shortest Common Superstring, Reconstruction, Multicontig, Graph Model
8) Restriction mapping: a) Double Digest Problem, b) Partial Digest Problem
9) Computational Gene Hunting, Gene finding methods; sequence patterns, Hidden Markov Models.
10) Bioinformatics approaches to gene expression
11) Protein folding problem
12) Genome Rearrangements
13) Suffix trees I
14) Suffix trees II

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Biyoinformatik ders notları haftalık olarak verilecektir.
Course material will be supplied weekly.
References: 1) Pevsner J., Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Wiley-Liss, 2009
2) Mount D.W., Bioinformatics: Sequence and Genome Analysis (2nd edition), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2004
3) Krane D.E., Raymer M.L., Fundamental Concepts of Bioinformatics, Benjamin Cummings, 2003
4) Setubal C., Meidanis J., Introduction to Computational Molecular Biology, PWS Publishing, 1997"

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Homework Assignments 2 % 15
Project 1 % 20
Midterms 1 % 25
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 40
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 60
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours 14 3 42
Study Hours Out of Class 14 5 70
Project 1 10 10
Midterms 1 2 2
Final 1 2 2
Total Workload 126

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Utilize the wealth of information stored in computer databases to answer basic biological questions and solve problems such as diagnosis and treatment of diseases. 3
2) Acquire an ability to compile and analyze biological information, clearly present and discuss the conclusions, the inferred knowledge and the arguments behind them both in oral and written format. 4
3) Develop critical, creative and analytical thinking skills. 5
4) Develop effective communication skills and have competence in scientific speaking, reading and writing abilities in English and Turkish. 4
5) Gain knowledge of different techniques and methods used in genetics and acquire the relevant laboratory skills. 5
6) Detect biological problems, learn to make hypothesis and solve the hypothesis by using variety of experimental and observational methods. 5
7) Gain knowledge of methods for collecting quantitative and qualitative data and obtain the related skills. 2
8) Conduct research through paying attention to ethics, human values and rights. Pay special attention to confidentiality of information while working with human subjects. 5
9) Obtain basic concepts used in theory and practices of molecular biology and genetics and establish associations between them. 5
10) Search and use literature to improve himself/herself and follow recent developments in science and technology. 4
11) Be aware of the national and international problems in the field and search for solutions. 5